Jack Who? (Book 1 Draft Version)

PART TWO~CHAPTER : 20

A sad sigh left my lips and just as quickly the confused simmer of emotions boiled over. “But damn it Jack, I was getting mine off a couple of times a month. You can't tell me you weren't every damn night!”

“So you are thinking I'm pissed about what Tristan said last night?”

“Obviously you are.”

“I don't like thinking about it. Hell, I can't stand thinking about it--”

“You know, I was kind of wild in college, but I never had continuous random hookups until after you. That day with you, I had never had that connection before. And I made the mistake of thinking it was out there for me again. That fate was not so fucked up to make just ONE freaking man THAT guy.” The years of loneliness converged into this moment, as I softly spoke, “I wanted that again, and thought that all I had to do was...”

“Was what?”

“Was keep looking until I found him.”

“Why? When you already found him?”

“You know why.”

“I don't Mariss...”

Now, finally, I looked at him, the anger and angst in my heart softening with his candor. “I think that is one of the things I love about you. You are from a different world and don't even know it.”

“Not really.”

“Mmh.” I let it go and breathed an unburdened breath.

Behind us from the patio, the music thumped and voices rang out. Jack's hand moved across the space between us to settle on my thigh. Not the least bit remorseful, his husky words were saturated with pride. “So I ruined you, huh?”

The cool night air could not keep the heat from flaming my face. Leave it to Jack to make an issue of anything sexual. “Yeah, I guess you did.”

“You guess? Maybe we should settle this right now.” Rolling to his side, he teased, trailing his fingers to naughty places.

With an exasperated sound, I pushed up, then stood, walking the several steps until I was deep enough to submerge into the tepid water. Without breaking the surface, I swam to the island and was not surprised when Jack surfaced next to me.

His kiss was wild and sweet, and my arms rose to rest on his shoulders, hanging on him as I often did when my knees went weak. My feelings were still mixed, and when I could think enough to remember why, I twisted some away from the tongue that so pleasingly scorched my ear.

“If you weren't mad then why wouldn't you last night?”

Jack pushed me away enough to stare down into my face. “I told you last night!”

“Exactly. You said because of all the...” Trailing off as I suddenly gleaned the misunderstanding, I stepped back to him, dropping my head on his shoulder. “I feel like an idiot.”

Just hours before that fight, I had been the one to turn down a quickie in the shower and when explaining my reasons--that I was hurting--I had seen the guilt in his eyes.

“I thought...” I whispered against his skin.

“Thought what?” The question was gentle as he held me tight.

“You know. What I just said. I thought you were mad because of what Tristan said.”

Like bands, his arms tightly and protectively encircled. “Damn Mariss. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry you thought that...You don't know how hard it was to try and convince you to go to sleep...And then when you ran out, I knew if I called you back or came to you, I would—I would be all over you.”